Factors Unknown
by TheDhampir
Summary: A follow-up to The Story of Lilith Pierce. It's the morning after chapter 47.


**A/N**

**I'm getting back into my writing mode! Whoo! This is not a "sequel" to The Story of Lilith Pierce, more like a follow-up that sets up a sequel. (Yes! There will be a sequel!) This is a one shot and I probably won't post the sequel until I get a few chapters written, but I have a solid storyline for the sequel and will start writing it soon. Enjoy!**

Factors Unknown

The world is filled with unknowns. It's unknown whether the world will really end on December twenty first, or if the human race will live on for eternity. Both options are highly unlikely and the outcome will probably be somewhere in the middle – not that the people of our generation will know firsthand. It's an unknown factor – the _x_ in an algebraic equation.

Damon Salvatore has his own infinite number of unknowns; where Stefan was, why the hell Tyler Lockwood decided to bit _him_ of all people, whether Stefan was even still alive, and so on. To him, there was only one known: he should be dead.

He and Elena had called the Gilbert residence at seven AM and no one had answered – understandable, seeing that Jeremy had been shot the night before, Alaric had been locked in a cellar, and Lilith was getting her first good night's sleep in days.

That was three hours ago.

Since then, Alaric had called back to tell them that Lilith had never made it back from hunting, Jeremy had spoken to Tyler about checking the trees, Damon had texted Katherine – all the while, the list of infinite unknowns was growing. Now they were just waiting for some news.

The quiet conversation between Sandy and Spongebob on the television was interrupted by Damon and Elena's phones going off simultaneously.

*UF*

Katherine Pierce jumped as the phone in her pocket vibrated, earning a look from Ziela who was in the passenger seat next to her. The text was short and urgent, the panic in Damon's words obvious.

_Is Lilith with you? –D_

The dhampir next to her turned down the radio her eyes catching the words on the small screen. "Mom?" she asked, the nervousness in her voice making the single word difficult to understand. She and her sister had their disagreements, but that didn't mean Ziela was going to stay stoic and uncaring when Lilith disappeared.

Katherine ignored her for a moment and typed a quick reply. "I'll fill you in later; but right now, we have a ripper to keep track of."

*UF*

Stefan stared straight ahead as Klaus drove south, doing his best to not think about the body in the back seat. "Why so glum, mate?" The hybrid asked him, not really expecting an answer. "Just us two, us pals, on the road, having the time of our lives."

The ripper held back a glare, continuing his staring contest with the horizon. "I'm not here by choice, Klaus. And we are definitely not _pals_."

"I'll remember that next time you need the cure to a werewolf bite," Klaus told him, shrugging. "Or, we could be pals and I could do you some favors."

Stefan sighed and nodded, not taking his eyes from the line of trees ahead. "Alright, _pal_."

*UF*

Damon had his phone out of his pocket before Elena even reached for hers. The text he read made him want to either throw his phone or crush it in his hand; he settled for sliding it back into his pocket and acting like nothing was wrong until Elena got off the phone. The words from the text haunted every corner of his mind.

_Maybe you should have kept a closer eye on your daughter. –Kat_

He heard Elena press _end_ on her phone and let out a low growl. "Damon?"

"It's just Katherine being her usual bitchy self." Damon said, not wanting to pile more drama into the already Hollywood-worthy situation. "What did Alaric, or whoever called, have to say?"

"It was Tyler."

Those three words were what he'd been afraid of. Tyler Lockwood had been checking the trees for the past hour, searching for any sign of Lilith. "What did he have to say?"

He tried to play it off non-chalantly, as if Tyler called on a daily basis when, in reality, this was the third time he'd called someone when they were in the boarding house. His reaction to Elena's next words would make you think someone had died.

"He found a shoe."

Damon sat down. The news was still sinking in as Elena continued, her words drifting in and out of his realm of hearing. "He didn't know for sure…talked to Jeremy…ones she'd been wearing…footprints…some blood…"

Tears had started streaming down her face and her arms were around his shoulders in an instant. "We'll find her Damon; I promise."

The shocked vampire just kept staring into space.

*UF*

The "amount" that infinity encompasses is always growing, always increasing so that each infinity is bigger than the one before. To put it this way, if Damon had an infinite number of unknowns, then Lilith had infinity squared. Or, to put it in the words of John Green, "there are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There's 0.1 and 0.12 and 0.112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is a _bigger_ infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or 0 and a million. Some infinities are bigger than others."

*UF*

Do you know that feeling, right before you fall asleep at night? The sensation of falling for a split second that makes you jolt up in bed? Imagine that sensation remaining, that feeling of falling, that minor heart attack, refusing to go away.

Now you're on the bridge between life and death.

On one side, the bridge leads to a small community, houses lined up in two neat rows, white with a blue trim. All the cars are the same; the lawns are all green and lush – a uniform community of paradise and safety. The side of the bridge leading to it made of cement and reinforced steel.

The other side, however, is quite the opposite. Two blackened trees created a sort of archway, backlit with a sort of red glow. All beyond it the coal black of ash. There are no buildings in sight, all the grass is dead. The side of the bridge leading to it made of only rope and rotting wood.

This leaves you with a decision: go toward the paradise? Or walk toward the red and black darkness? Make the decision quickly, and be sure of it before you even move. Because one false step could send you on a collision course with your worst nightmare.

*UF*

Lilith stood on the bridge, pressing against the invisible barrier that kept her from entering the paradise. She pressed her shoulder against it, using as much force as she could against all the power of the falling sensation that made her ears ring, and stumbled back from the return force. The rotting wood beneath her feet gave way to nothingness and the falling sensation tripled in intensity.

*UF*

Her dark hair was spread out on the ground around her head, Stefan standing a few feet away. "I never wanted to kill her." He said when he heard Klaus's footsteps behind him. "But I promised her I'd do whatever it took." The ripper tried to reason with his humanity – tried to find a good excuse for killing her. Her eyes were closed, but he knew that if they were open, he would see the same blue eyes his brother had. The eyes of the niece he'd killed.

The girl's hand moved.

The ripper turned to the hybrid. "What did you do to her?" Klaus simply smiled. "What did you do to Lilith?" Stefan demanded.

"I didn't do anything." The original explained, the cruel smile still on his face. "You did. You killed her."

Lilith lurched into a sitting position and Stefan was by her side in an instant. "What is happening?" He demanded again, determined to get an answer.

"Stefan, Stefan, Stefan," Klaus took a few steps toward them. "Isn't it obvious?" The returning silence prompted him to explain. "She's in transition."

**A/N**

**OOOH! Evil plot twistery! I'd like some opinions, but they're not required and don't be afraid to flame!**

**Peace In!**


End file.
